1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an apparatus and method for improving usability of a touch screen, and more particularly, to an apparatus and method for improving usability of a touch screen, which are capable of preventing a desired screen image displayed on a location based service (LBS) apparatus from being partially hidden by a part of a user's body, such as a finger, or a tool, such as a stylus pen, and precisely controlling the operation of a pointer.
2. Description of the Related Art
Location based services (LBS) indicate various types of services that provide a terminal user with location-related information from a geographic information system (GIS), a global positioning system (GPS), or Telematics, based on the location of a mobile communication terminal, such as a mobile phone or a personal digital assistant (PDA). An LBS employs the triangular network method in which a current location is detected simultaneously by 3 base stations, or a GPS-based method. LBSs have recently been applied to the fields of location information and traffic navigation, and further, to the field of private sector services, such as mobile advertisements, mobile coupons, travel information, vehicle diagnosis supports, emergency operations, and taxi call services.
FIGS. 1A and 1B illustrate that a map is displayed on a conventional LBS apparatus 110 through map browsing.
Here, it is assumed that the LBS apparatus 110 illustrated in FIGS. 1A and 1B employs a touch screen technique in which a user can move and search for a map and refer to information regarding a specific location on the map by touching the LBS apparatus 110. As illustrated in FIG. 1A, a map is displayed on a screen 111 of the LBS apparatus 110, and a user can see the latitude, longitude, name, and address of a specific location 111a on the map by touching the location 111a of the map on the screen 111.
In this case, as illustrated in FIG. 1B, not only the location 111a but also neighbor locations are hidden by a part of the body of the user, e.g., a finger 120, which touches the location 111a. 
Also, as described above, LBSs have been recently, actively applied to private sectors, thus increasing demand for LBS apparatuses. Further, as the sizes of digital apparatuses become smaller and smaller, it is quite difficult to delicately manipulate a touch screen, which is accordingly becoming smaller and smaller, by part of a user's body, e.g., the finger 120.